an unexpected new stop on the road to broadway: edmonton

Edmonton, Alberta
The road to Broadway is rarely so cold.
Throughout the fall, the team behind the promising new music \"Hadestown\" is isolated here, trying to figure out how best to present its folk musicand-politics-
Inject riff into a persistent Greek mythology.
This strategy is classic: find a theater outside of New York with a solid user base and a large stage, in an open --An audience with ideas
But the choice of this oil
The rich provincial capital city is unusual, which also illustrates a music-
The drama boom on Broadway rippled on the stage.
\"More people want to be in the game,\" said Tom kiddahi, one of the producers of the show . \". “A lot of out-of-
The town theater recognizes that if they can accommodate new works, they can become stakeholders in future programming.
\"Given the high cost and high risk, musicals targeting Broadway usually have at least one initial production --
Sometimes in New York or London, but usually in smaller cities.
A handful of non-profit theaters like San Diego\'s La Jolla Playhouse often develop Broadway shows, but theaters eager to engage in commercial projects are expanding to less touristy destinations.
Non-profit organizations performing regularly for Broadway can get $1 million or more from producers to support large shows;
New players with smaller performance are more likely to get $250,000 to $500,000.
Asolo Theater is located in Sarasota, Florida.
Has done five such performances in the past nine years (
Bonnie and Clyde \")
In the past four years, the theater company in Wilmington, Delaware has done it four times (the best-
Known: Music \"dinner\" by Sheryl Crow \").
\"There\'s no Broadway sensation, but it\'s a great way to bring the audience back to the theater,\" said Bud Martin, Delaware executive director . \". Edmonton —
The northernmost big city in North America, known for its cold winter, petrochemical industry and large shopping malls (
21 water slides and three-turn roller coasters)—
It is growing rapidly, getting younger, and is home to a thriving art scene, including the annual Fringe Festival. The 52-year-
The old castle theater, located in a fivestage glass-and-
The theater in the center of brick, early attempts to develop a performance for Broadway.
But after a series of disappointment, it basically withdrew from the game, including the two \"life\" and \"Mr. Lincoln\" that were transferred in 1980 but later failed. and the ambitious musical adaptation of Treasure Island, which sank at the castle in 1985, eight works.
Last year, when Daryl crawland was appointed director of new art for the theater, he knew he would try to change the situation.
He wants his audience to see it.
Production of scale that he cannot afford;
He wants local artists to work with Broadway talents.
He wants the castle to be part of the creation of ambitious new works. (
The unexpected success of the Canadian musical \"from afar\" now on Broadway has also inspired people\'s enthusiasm. )
So he\'s getting cold.
Call the producer
He tried several times, but soon focused on the supporters of \"Hadestown\", a contemporary retelling of the tragic love story between Orpheus and Ortiz
Reviewed the Broadway round at the New York theater seminar last year, but at least one show was neededof-
Re-consider urban production for the audience of traditional frame spaces and residential areas. Mr.
Cloran has never even seen the show, and after seeing her former director Rachel Chavkin, she became an admirer of the show
\"Natasha, Pierre, and the big Comet of 1812\" are on Broadway and love the \"huddertown\" concept album written by the singer
Composer Anna Mitchell
The producers were not so interested at first.
\"We are not going to Canada,\" Mara Isaacs said . \" She says her team is focused on more health --
Roads in the United States and Britain. Mr.
Cloran knew he was facing a tough battle: \"They were always very polite but it didn\'t sound like anything would happen,\" he said.
However, over time, the location of Edmonton
Especially without direct flights from New York.
It feels like a plus sign, not a minus sign.
\"It is attractive to do it in a place where there is no whole set of eyes to see the work and judge it before it is completely baked,\" Ms.
Mr. Chavkin said he had never been to Edmonton and had never heard of the castle.
Then money.
The dollar expanded further in Canada.
The Castle didn\'t ask much.
The theater agreed to spend the usual amount of time on a musical (
About $600,000)
And agree not to seek royalties from future works (
Not-for-profit organizations that help develop commercial performances usually earn a percentage of Broadway profits).
Commercial producers will pay the rest and bring their own sound and lighting equipment, rotating the stage and important set elements to upgrade what they will find in the castle.
\"There is no doubt that it is in our economic interest to go to Canada,\" she said . \"
Isaacs and Mr make the show together
Kirdahy, Dale Franzen and Hunter Arnold.
In just three weeks of rehearsal and four rehearsals
Chavkin repeated the show many times with new actors including Reeve Carney (“Spider-
Male: turn off the darkness \")
Three of the five main characters.
At first, a railway line split the stage in two;
After a show, the creative team gave up the design.
There are a few experiments on how best to deploy the characters added in Edmonton production to try to revive those who are working hard in hell.
\"We are trying to take this line between the world that remains metaphorical and poetic, and also trying to deliver a satisfying story,\" Ms. Mitchell said.
\"The only way we know where it comfortably wants to sit is to go too far in one direction or another.
The Castle says if it\'s on Broadway
This again shows that it will send a staff member to manage the relationship with commercial producers as it turns out that there is more time for immigration and budget issues
Consumption than expected.
\"One reason many shows go to the same trusted venue is that these theaters really know how to work with business partners and the Castle doesn\'t have a whole bunch of practices --
Also, they are Canadians, so they are very polite and take a lot of time to figure out who will lead a production meeting ,\"Chavkin said.
\"But all of this is balanced by how much they love the show.
This is an unqualified success.
Buzz is strong, the attendance rate is high, and the feedback is positive.
The final performance in Edmonton is December. 3;
Now the producer has to decide if there is another pre-
Broadway production (
Several American regional theaters are attracting performances.
Or hold a development seminar and go straight to Broadway next fall.
If it gets to Broadway, the show will most likely have money from Edmonton behind it: Penny Ritco, executive director of the castle, is trying to bring together a group of Edmund investments.
If \"Hadestown\" can make a profit, her investment group will donate part of the profit to the home theater, she said.
At the same time, the castle keeper is already talking to producers of other shows in the Broadway pipeline, hoping to attract another show to Edmonton.
The benefits: Edmonton actors and artists have the opportunity to work with Broadway actors and crew.
\"In Canada, there are not so many opportunities to do this caliber of new work and capture performances on the go,\" said 10 thousand s Avery, two locals in Edmonton --
Of the seven Canadians
The \"Hadestown\" actor in the castle.
Kira Guloien, 14, who appeared on the Castle stage in The Sound of Music, now lives in Toronto and is happy to return to her hometown to play one of three fates in Hadestown.
\"People who have never been to this theater before have come because of the buzz,\" she said . \".
\"How cool is that?